


Snow White Queen

by dynastyxdecapitated



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Last Airbender (2010)
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Dominant Zuko, F/M, Knifeplay, Power Dynamics, Rape/Non-con Elements, THIS IS PROBLEMATIC, Yue is innocent, Zuko is not nice, inappropriate use of firebending, this is sorta a songfic if you squint hard enough, yes this is a fanfic for the movie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-03
Updated: 2018-07-03
Packaged: 2019-06-01 17:11:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15147935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dynastyxdecapitated/pseuds/dynastyxdecapitated
Summary: "You belong to me, my snow white queen;There's no where to run, so let's just get it over.Soon, my love, you'll see;You're just like me.Don't scream anymore, my love,All I want is you."- 'Snow White Queen', Evanescence





	Snow White Queen

**Author's Note:**

> "You belong to me, my snow white queen;  
> There's no where to run, so let's just get it over.  
> Soon, my love, you'll see;  
> You're just like me.  
> Don't scream anymore, my love,  
> All I want is you."  
> \- 'Snow White Queen', Evanescence

_…Kingdom of the Northern Water Tribe …_

_… Dusk …_

The white haired, young heir to the kingdom stood pacing, visually, obviously nervous, but somehow maintaining her elegance. She kept her head down, shaking it just a bit as she spoke.

“What are we to do? Just sit here and wait for the Fire Nation to slaughter us all like animals?!” She couldn’t help but cry out, staring at the tall boy who stood only a few feet away from her. He watched her silently, obediently, as she continued. “We’ll end up like our sister tribe…I can feel it…”

She looked to the boy, a glimmer of fear in her indigo gaze. “Sokka…” She sighed. “We’re outnumbered. We’re _doomed_.”

Tears pricked her eyes, and finally, he couldn’t help himself. Sokka rushed forward, taking the shuddering princess in his embrace.

“Yue, please…don’t talk like that; you’re only making the situation worse. Worrying isn’t gonna help either of us.”

Yue choked back sobs. A princess should _never_ let her subjects see her cry. “How can I not be? I’ve seen the Fire Nation’s brutality before…” Raising her head, she met Sokka’s eyes. “I mean, you and Katara have seen it as well…they…” She trails off, not wanting to finish her words at the risk of opening up long healed wounds.

Sokka nodded, knowing just what she meant. “I know. I’m not letting them take anything from me now.” He lifted a hand from the girls waist, reaching up and petting her head lovingly, in a vain attempt to comfort her further. Yue couldn’t help but smile at Sokka’s actions, and she placed her own hand onto his.

“The Avatar will help us.” She breathed, her voice a little calmer. “…He needs you. Go be with him, Sokka.”

He shook his head, holding Yue just a bit tighter. “No, Yue, I’m staying with you. I have to protect you.”

“Sokka.” Yue replied, her tone a bit more strict now. “He’s with your sister in the Oasis. Please; I’ll be fine…Just go.”

…Sokka hesitated, staring down at the princess in his arms for a few moments. The girl kept smiling through her tears, trying desperately to show her noble warrior that she’d be fine without him. Sokka sighed, rubbing the girl’s cheek, then nodding sadly.

“Alright.” He sighed, before leaning down, planting a kiss on the princess’s lips. It was brief, but meaningful. He pulled away after a moment, and Yue stared up at him. “Get some rest.”

She nodded, sighing a tiny reply of “Okay.” He released her from his embrace, and turned, standing in the door way for just a moment to look back at Yue.

“Go with safety.” She chimed with a smile just as soft as her voice.

Sokka gave her a nod, and then turned once more, leaving the palace with a heavy heart and mind full of worry.

Yue watched him leave, her smile fading when she saw he was gone. She sighed as she slowly made her way over to the window that was carved into the ice walls of her bedroom. Yue stood before it, looking down at the homes and architecture of her kingdom below her.

Her heart was heavy with dread, just as Sokka’s, as she watched her subjects below her. How many of these people would be gone before sunrise? Yue bit her lip harshly at such a thought, and knowing it wouldn’t do any good to dwell on such dark possibilities, she tried to push them out of her mind with a sigh.

Sokka was right; she needed to rest, even if it would be hard to do so.

Giving her people below her a final glance, and the spirits above a silent prayer, Yue then went back to the safety of her bedroom.

…

Outside of the palace’s walls, a boy stood, dressed in solid white. The cold bit at his skin without mercy even though the thick fabric of his arctic camouflage. He could feel his strength fading each passing minute; his fire slowly being snuffed out. Perhaps he had spent all of his remaining stamina swimming- and nearly perishing- in the waters below the city.

It had been his only way into the kingdom.

Having to disguise himself as a commoner and tread through the deathly cold terrain of the Northern Water Tribe wasn’t exactly the way Prince Zuko wanted to spend his day, but in the end, he knew it would be worth it.

The Avatar was somewhere in this kingdom. Hidden, yes, but _here_.

Zuko felt his heart race with sweltering pride at thought of finally finding the Avatar.

Sprits, it would be an amazing feat- especially seeing as how Commander Zhao was the one leading that hunt. Zuko rolled his eyes at the mere thought.

Zhao had tried to assassinate him; and being the one to capture that Airbender would be the ultimate revenge gesture.

Being in the Northern Water Tribe would be risky though now of course, knowing that Zhao and his men were close and infiltrating the city at this very moment.

Not wanting to waste his energy on his pented rage toward Commander Zhao, (and praying they wouldn’t meet) Zuko chose to instead focus on hunting down the Avatar before he could. It’s what he was here for, after all.

Looking around at the kingdom of ice that he stood before, Zuko wondered where to even start. He couldn’t see any sign of Zhao and his men; but just to be safe, Zuko knew he should still stay out of sight. This kingdom surely was on edge right now and Zuko didn’t wish to play his luck anymore than he already was.

But, where to start searching?

Surely these people knew of the oncoming raid from the Fire Nation. Zuko knew first hand the diligence of the Water Tribe, and he could only imagine that of the North’s.

He assessed the buildings of the kingdom further; contemplating still where to start. It was a maze, for sure; the Avatar could be hiding anywhere.

Zuko’s gaze trailed upon the beautiful, tallest pagoda of ice that sat among the others. It’s details stood out the most, and he knew for a fact that had to be the royal palace. Something inside Zuko told him the royal family were tucked away somewhere safer, somewhere less…predictable than the palace. Surely.

Perhaps searching there would be a good start?

His inner voice, the one influenced by his uncle, told him that testing his luck was still a bad idea- but Zuko instead found himself making his way toward the palace atop the kingdom.

He carefully maneuvered himself through the many twists and turns of the civilian area of the kingdom; avoiding any sign of life he sensed. Most of the residents were surely in their homes, locked in for the night where they felt the safest. Zuko figured most of them were too scared to face the cold of this hour anyways.

He cringed at that. Zuko, being the firebender he was, couldn’t see how these people lived without the warmth of the sun.

Oh, how these people loved their precious moon though. Waterbenders got their power from it after all.

Glancing up to the sky, Zuko noticed the moon was nearly full tonight. If he were to run into waterbenders, he’d be a sitting turtleduck. Sure, he could fight them off with a stroke of luck and some energy, but most of his chi was being used to keep himself warm in this forsaken climate.

Holding his heated breath as he traversed the city, Zuko eventually found himself mere meters away from the palace steps. Getting up them without being seen would be tricky, but he had managed this far and he wasn’t about to give up now.

He was so close- so, /so/ close to having the Avatar in his grasp. So close to beating that Zhao. So close to having his throne back.

His swelling ego served to give him a rush of adrenaline, and when the time was right, he bolted for the walls of the palace.

It was a blur, but when the cold, wet feeling of the ice pressed against his stomach, Zuko was actually relieved. This would be the only time he welcomed such cold.

Zuko glanced upwards; In the dim of the moonlight, he could see a window a few feet above him. Going back to his previous assumption, he had a feeling the palace (Or at least, parts of it) would be deserted. The royals knew better than to be easy targets for the Fire Nation.

Suddenly digging his fingers into the thick bricks of ice before him, Zuko used all of his remaining strength to find it within himself to firebend- just enough to make the very tips of his digits sink into the now slightly melted architecture. He smirked, proud of himself for being able to bend in such a climate. Zuko look up, eyeing the window above him once more. He wasn’t far now. It was just a few metres from his reach… He could do this.

_He could do this!_

Pulling himself up, up, up, Zuko managed to keep his footing stable as he scaled the icy wall. He prayed his white clothing would be enough to mask himself, and that Water Tribe warriors wouldn’t see him. He had to focus on getting inside this building and he needed to do it as quick as possible.

It was agonizing to endure the cold at this point, _nauseating_ even, so Zuko pressed on, finding solace in the heat that burned within him. He picked up his pace, clawing into the ice that stood adjacent to him faster and faster, but careful not to loose his grip and fall.

His heart racing with adrenaline, the sill of the window was just out of reach now, and with one final push, Zuko hoisted himself over it’s edge and rested against it as he caught his breath.

Taking a moment to look into the room, Zuko’s eyes scanned his surroundings. This was clearly some sort of home. A bedroom, more specifically.

Intricate furniture decorated the chamber; a vanity with a mirror of polished glass- _or was it ice?_ \- sat across the room from a small bed that was gilded with various animal pelts- no doubt the only source of warmth these people would know.

Zuko was about to laugh at that, but noticed the tiny, unmoving figure of a girl beneath said pelts. His breath hitched in his throat, and to his fear, the blood in his veins ran ice cold.

His stroke of luck had run out; the palace was _not_ empty.

…

Following Sokka’s advice, Yue had chosen to at least try to get some much needed rest. She retreated to the safety of her bed and undressed rather hastily, not wanting to give her mind another chance to dwell on the grave matters at stake.

She stripped herself of her royal garb and left herself in only a small, fairly immodest nightdress along with her silvery hair ornaments; she had grown used to just sleeping with them in her hair from time to time. It was oddly comforting.

Yue then laid herself into her bed and tried to find her own solace in the spirits. She asked them for the strength to lull, albeit force, herself to sleep.

...Now, here she was, doing just that before Prince Zuko. But, unbeknownst to her, of course. And, unbeknownst to him, that this girl before him was _the_ Princess of the Northern Water Tribe herself.

Pulling himself into the bedroom afore him, keeping his footsteps light, Zuko carefully made his way over to the girl. From what he could see, she was most certainly asleep. Her breathing was steady and her eyes were closed in blissful ignorance.

Zuko was going to ignore the tiny girl, and just go along with his original plan- sneak around and pray he could find that damned Airbender. Something made Zuko pause though.

He noticed the girl’s hair…her _white_ hair.

Zuko’s eyes widened; he knew this girl!

_Princess Yue._

He had heard rumors, stories of the princess who was born so very sick, and her desperate parents prayed and prayed to the Spirits above, and the Spirit of the moon itself graciously gave their daughter a second chance at life. The child's hair turned white as a consequence of the Spirit’s blessing, and the chief and his wife named the girl Yue, after the moon…

Now, here she was right in front of Zuko.

He was almost in shock… The girl was _real_? Not just an old Water Tribe legend?

Kneeling down to her side quietly, Zuko watched her for a moment as she slept peacefully. She was so still, and he honestly could barely even see her chest rising and falling ever so slightly.

Something inside Zuko told him to reach for her, to touch her fabled moon-white hair. He almost, _almost_  resisted that boyish urge…but Zuko found himself lifting his hand toward the Princess.

His fingers ran amongst her hair, almost combing through it. He was careful not to disturb her too much, avoiding pulling her hair or brushing against her face.

The Princess almost looked like a porcelain doll, much like the ones Zuko’s sister had had; albeit much paler in both hair and skin and much, _much_ less broken. Her cheeks and lips were the fairest shade of cherry pink, and her hair felt like the finest Fire Nation silk. Zuko only imagined how blue her eyes were…had she been blessed by the Ocean spirit as well, maybe?

But then, curse his luck, just as Zuko pulled his hand away, he watched in horror as the girl stirred gently in her sleep.

Zuko felt his heart skip beats as she let out a small sigh- a whine, almost… Then, her eyes fluttered open.

Zuko instinctively jerked away, but he watched shocked fear fill her gaze almost instantly after she awoke.

Spirits above; Zuko _prayed_ to Agni that she wouldn’t scream.

She didn’t.

**Author's Note:**

> [[ Happy eight year anniversary, The Last Airbender!! You're awful but, god, do I love Dev Patel as Zuko. I've always wanted to type a fic for the movie-verse, and now I guess I had an excuse too. All the smutty goodness will come in the next chapter, I swear. ]]


End file.
